Male drivers, passengers suffered most injuries in road accidents

Male drivers and passengers tend to be the ones most involved in traffic accidents, suffer grievous or slight injuries or are killed.

According to the annual Transport Statistics report, the number of reported traffic accidents reached 14,070 in 2013. The figures mark a decrease of 476 cases, or 3.3 per cent over the previous year.

Decreases were registered in almost all districts, with the largest decrease recorded in the Northern Harbour district, down by 168 cases. The Western district was the only district to register an increase, up by 14 cases. 


1,582 traffic casualties, 963 of whom were drivers, occurred in 2013. 794 drivers suffered slight injuries, 157 suffered grievous ones, while injuries sustained by 12 drivers proved fatal.

During the same period 334 passengers and 171 pedestrians suffered slight injuries, while 34 passengers and 74 pedestrians suffered grievous ones.

Moreover, injuries sustained by one passenger and five pedestrians eventually proved fatal, thus raising the total number of fatalities in 2013 to 18.

On a gender basis, slightly-injured persons numbered 1,299, of whom 720 were males and 579 were females.

Grievously-injured persons stood at 265, the majority being males. Of the 18 fatalities, 14 were males.

The largest number of male and female casualties was in the 26-40 age group.


71.8 per cent of casualties were caused by passenger cars while 17.4 per cent were caused by motorcycles. Of the 18 fatalities, nine were caused by passenger cars, six were caused by motorcycles and the rest by buses and goods-carrying vehicles.


The highest traffic casualty rate occurred on Sundays, accounting for 16.4 per cent of the total.

The highest accident rate was recorded on Fridays, totalling 2,224 cases, and the lowest on Sundays, with 1,489 cases.

However, Sundays topped the highest casualty-to-accident ratio.

Birkirkara was the locality with the highest rate of traffic accidents, with 845 cases. Ħal Qormi and Marsa followed, with 794 and 738 reported accidents respectively.

138,701 traffic-related contraventions issued by wardens


In 2013, 64,697 traffic-related contraventions were issued by the Police, with the majority being issued in the Northern Harbour district.

The largest contravention group was for ‘Illegal/unauthorised parking’, amounting to 16,919, or 26.2 per cent of the total. Santa Venera topped the highest tally of contraventions issued by the Police, with 4,701 contraventions.

Traffic-related contraventions issued by the local wardens amounted to 138,701.

The majority (35.6 per cent) of these contraventions were also issued in the Northern Harbour district.

As with the Police, the largest contravention group booked by the Wardens was for ‘Illegal/unauthorised parking’, amounting to 51,115 contraventions given, or 36.9 per cent of the total.

St. Julian’s was the locality with the highest tally of contraventions issued by Wardens, with 9,528, or 6.9 per cent of the total.


In 2013, speed camera contraventions totalled 15,242, of which 12,961, or 85.0 per cent of the total, being in the ‘<=15km/h over speed limit’ group. The camera which caught the most over- speeding vehicles was the one installed in Triq in-Nutar Żarb, Ħ’Attard, totalling 6,115 contraventions.